Ollivander Returns
by onemoregeek
Summary: The war is over and Ollivander returns to Diagon Alley. Short one shot


Ollivander stood at the end of Diagon Alley a couple of bags resting on his arms. Madam Malkin appeared next to him. She nodded to him in silent greeting and looked around at the damage done to the street.

"Going to see what is left?" she asked quietly. The whole street was quiet, mournful; it hit you like a stunning spell to the chest. Ollivander nodded, he could not find words. They walked in silence, what could you say? Florean Fortescue's Ice cream parlor had lost all its vibrancy, its door blown off its hinges. Ollivander looked away from it quickly, ashamed. Madam Malkin turned to enter her shop, the shattered glass from the windows covered everything that had not been stolen, yards of shredded fabric and damaged mannequins littering the floor. This is what happened when you asked people to be civil in your shop, you got put on a list, not very high up but they get to you eventually. Ollivander stood on the street and watched as Madam Malkin pulled out her wand, 9 inches springy Alder wood with unicorn tail hair only took two tries to find her match, and slowly tried to clean and see what could be salvaged. He hung his head and walked on. Every store on the street had been abandoned, some it looked like it had been voluntary they were boarded up and probably empty of stock, others like his and Madam Malkin's had not been and were left a mess. He shivered as he walked down this ghost town that had once been so full of life. He stopped and turned in front of his own store, his windows had been shattered as well but he knew that, he was standing at the counter when it happened, he had just been cleaning up for the night, it seemed so silly now. The glass shot at him like rain and then there where people all around him in masks, not that it mattered one look at the wand and he knew who was hidden behind the mask. The wands he so lovingly crafted and brought to life, the wands he innovated to make them even stronger, used against him.

"Hey Ollivander, do you need any help cleaning up?" Ollivander shook the visions out of his head and turned to see Fred or was it George Weasley holding up his wand,10 inches flexible Larch wood dragon heartstring, in an offer to help. Ah yes it is George, he should have remembered that Fred perished in the war.

"I have pretty much got Weasley Wizard Wheezes all cleaned up, the whole family helped, it was distracting in a way we all needed. So do you want a hand?" George was speaking in a normal voice not hushed in mourning, but what most would consider a normal voice was hushed for George, so loud and full of life. Ollivander nodded and walked to the door or to where the door should have been and entered. It had all happened so fast that night he did not know what to expect but to see his life's work, the store he inherited from his father blown to pieces, he fell to his knees landing on broken wands and crushed boxes that had been trampled as they captured and abducted him. George Walked over to a shelf that had been damaged but not completely destroyed and quietly waved his wand starting the simplest of repairs, he did not comfort Ollivander, he knew any words would be hollow and that would not help. People told him "it's okay" and "things will get better" and the worst "all things happen for a reason" empty words meant to comfort, he would not give empty words to anyone suffering. Actions would always speak louder than words, so he would act and help in any way he could. Ollivander sat and cried quietly, George kept working he had his time to cry now it was Ollivander's turn, he would not interrupt him.

"This war, it was my fault. I made all those wands that hurt so many people. I was excited when a wand of great power went into the hands of a very powerful person like Tom Riddle. I made this happen." Ollivander finally said out loud the pained words that had been hiding inside him since he had been abducted. Growing steadily as the war went on bursting at the seams as he saw firsthand the damage his wands did to his beloved street and the shops of his friends.

George stopped repairing the shelf and walked over to Ollivander "You also made Harry Potters wand, Minerva McGonagall's, my mother's, my father's, my brother's, my sister's, mine. You gave us a way to fight back, to defend ourselves. We are not taught defense against the dark arts for nothing. There will always be bad people and we need to make sure there will always be good wizards to fight them back. Tom Riddle will not be the last evil git who uses something good for evil. I never want to have to clean my own dishes by hand, or my own socks, magic is so much more than fighting it is our way of life and your wands are essential to that life. Now you need to get this shop back up and running there are many wizards that are going to need wands so they can get back to their lives. You can sit there and feel sorry, you can tell every wizard you are sorry, and it's not really going to help them. But you can try to get back up and assist others, give them the tools they need to reclaim their lives and that will help them. I do not blame you for this war, for the loss of my… Fred. I blame Tom Riddle the coward who hid behind the mask of Lord Voldemort, he did this not you. So what are you going to do? "

Ollivander looked up at George and pulled a couple wands out of the bag he had been carrying. "I will help."

"See you already knew the answer, let's get to work." George said as he offered Ollivander a hand up. "Besides no one will come to Diagon Alley if my store is the only one open" He teased.

Ollivander let out a little laugh, it felt odd he hadn't laughed in so long, if felt wrong and right at the same time.


End file.
